A turnabout from the past
by Adolphus Black
Summary: Life has changed for everyone in nine years. Phoenix Wright and Franziska von Karma have discovered that they could become much closer than they'd ever have suspected. Miles Edgeworth lives alone, struggling with the memory of a lost love. Dick Gumshoe and Maggey Byrde live a peaceful life, far from the city. This story is about where they are, and where they were three years ago.
1. Chapter 1

_**One**_

They used to draw a perfect symmetry when they slept. Feet against feet, knee against knee, chest against chest. Hand in hand. It came all by itself when they once decided they wanted to spend their nights together. None of them had ever thought about it that much, but they loved to sleep that way. It made them feel safe, complete. However, the two of them had smiled a million times about how ironic their relationship was. They'd come a long way, that's for sure.

The 27th of February, at about three o'clock in the morning, she felt the symmetry had been broken and woke up from an unconsistent sleep. Though she could see there was nobody else in the bed, she extended her arm slowly and touched the empty space, as if she'd hope to feel a body her eyes couldn't show her. She felt the spot was warm, so for a few seconds she caressed the white sheets, looking nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

At a certain point she decided to get up. After all, an empty space was fine, but he was much better. And she knew where to find him. She felt shivers down her spine when her feet touched the cold floor, pulled back her short hair and got up. At that time of night it felt like a titanic task, she thought. She got out of the room and walked throught a dark corridor, only guided by the small yellow light that came out of a room at the end of it. The door was half open, so she pushed it, and while her eyes struggled with the sudden flash of light, she whispered in a tired voice.

« Phoenix ? ».

A man with dark hair and a small beard was sitting at a table, looking throught a big window that showed the inmense darkness of the city at night. There was a mug on the table, a white mug with a yellow smiley face. She could see the smoke coming out of it. Coffee, of course.

He gave her a big smile, as he always did, but his tired eyes made it look sad.

« You know it took you a year and a half to start calling me just Phoenix ? » he said, «before that, even when we started dating you used to call me by my full name ».

She sat down in front of him and didn't respond to that comment. She thought it was irrelevant, althought knew that wasn't absolutely the case. That was one of the things she'd learned from him : small things mattered. A smile, a laughter, a hug, telling someone they could count on you. Those things made a difference, most of the times. She understood that eventually, but never got it completely.

«You won't be able to sleep if you drink coffee at this time of night », she replied.

Phoenix smiled again. He loved her accent, and the way she looked when she just got out of bed.

« I can't sleep anyway », he answered.

« Another nightmare ?», she asked.

He just moved his head up and down, very slightly.

« It's the third this week », she said.

« No, it's just that the rest of the times I managed not to wake you up ».

« You mean you've had more of those dreams ?».

« Every night for the past six weeks, Franziska ».

Her blue eyes glittered in shock. She covered her mouth with her right hand, and did her best not to look worried. Phoenix found that lovable about her. Never show a hint of weakness, never let the other person think that you have feelings. There was a time when he hated her for that, but once he discovered what she was hiding underneath, he couldn't help but looking at her with tenderness in his eyes.

« Don't worry, I've been fine », he said after a short silence.

« No, you haven't. You haven't slept in six weeks, damn it. No wonder you look like a zombie », she replied, with anger in her voice.

«Well, you look gorgeous all the time. That should even things up a bit, make us look decent » he replied, smiling.

« Oh, be quiet. And how the hell did you manage not to wake me up for so long ? ».

« So you're upset because you didn't notice, aren't you ? », he replied, and when he saw the look on her face, he decided to take the matter seriously. « Most of the times I just lie there, looking at the roof, thinking about stuff. I only started getting up and making coffee this week. That's why you haven't noticed before ».

She seemed to be satisfied by the explanation. For a while, she just stared at him while he drunk his coffee. He looked fine, happy, but she knew how tired he was. In time, Phoenix had learned a very important rule for an attorney : never lose your smile, even in the darkest times. Ironically, when he learned it he had already lost his licence.

« Phoenix, it'll be three years tomorrow. Three years since it happened. Why would it come to you now ? It doesn't make any sense », she said at last.

« I know it doesn't. I don't know, maybe I've been too busy to think about it all this time… ».

« Don't be foolish. You've been thinking about it all the time for the last three years. ».

« How would you know that ? ». He looked surprised.

«Because I know, Phoenix Wright. I know you very well, and that's exactly the kind of things you'd do. Plus, I know you loved her».

Phoenix felt a deep pain when he heard this last sentence. He lowered his eyes and looked at his hands, holding the warm mug that still whispered words of smoke. Yes, he loved her, more than words could say. But then…it happened. And they took away the dearest friend he ever had.

« Hey… », he heard Franziska say. He looked up and saw her eyes staring directly at his. She had a serene, deep expression on her face. « Let's go back to bed », she said, « you need some rest ». She got up and held his hand. He followed her to the bedroom and lied close to her, as always, drawing the same symmetry they had been drawing for the last three years. Phoenix loved being with her, because he felt it was peaceful, despite her boiling personality. However, he did sense that, throught the years, her anger had turned into coldness, and her determination into serenity. Where did the kindness of her heart come from was a question he could never answer.

Slowly, he fell asleep, holding Franziska close to him, feet against feel, knee against knee, chest against chest, hand in hand.

Just before he fell into an infinite darkness, he remember a particular point of his nightmares. A woman's voice talking. She just called him once, in a frightened voice.

She just said one word.

Nick.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

There was this small noise coming from the kitchen that woke him up from the deepest sleep he'd had in six weeks. At first, he felt a mixture of anger and dissapointment, but then realized it was Franziska who made the noises and then cooled up a bit. He looked at the roof for a couple of minutes and got up.

She was already dressed and was making breakfast. The first sound he heard was the high pitched ringing that came out of the toaster. There were two toasts on a green plate and coffee on a mug with her initials on it, « F.v.K. ». The moment she turned to sit on the table, she saw Phoenix and bounced out of surprise. She almost spilled her coffee, but only a few black drops bounced out of the mug and landed on the floor. She gave him an angry look and then put the plate and the mug on the table. Before she turned to look at him, she talked.

« Don't ever scare me like that again ».

Phoenix smiled.

« Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you », he said.

« Of course you didn't. You're just dumb enough to think that it woulnd't scare me to find an unexpected figure at the door of my kitchen at half past six in the morning », she replied.

He didn't answer that. Instead, he touched her shoulder and gave her a quick kiss. She stared at him for a second.

« You look terrible, Phoenix », she said, with a very condescendent expression on her face.

« I thought we talked about this last night » he answered, « you look gorgeous, so that evens things up ».

« I'm serious ».

« Me too » he said. He opened a drawer and took a red plate, then he put two toasts on the toaster and started making coffee, « look, I'm fine, this problem will dissappear eventually, OK ? ».

« You're the one who used to say everything happens for a reason. Don't you think it's strange that these dreams began almost three years after…that happened ? », Franziska said, in an irritated tone.

Phoenix just looked at the coffee he had just put in his smiling mug.

« Phoenix, look for help », she added.

He took a deep breath, put his plate and the mug on the table and sat down in front of her.

« Can we talk about something else, please ? »

Franziska made a small sound to show her exasperation. After that, they ate in slience for about twenty minutes. Then Phoenix asked :

« Any interesting cases lately ? ».

She gave him a cold look, to show that she was still angry at him, but answered anyway.

« There's been a murder in a small flat at Silverstone Avenue, not far from here. The police caught a suspect, and it's very likely that he's the killer ».

« Who's the victim ? » Phoenix asked.

« Daniel Konrad. Apparently a musician, a pianist that started to get a serious reputation in the country. It's a shame. He could've gave you some lessons to improve your dreadful playing ».

She smiled, and that made Phoenix feel better. He didn't want the nightmare problem to cause tensions between them.

« Hey, I've been improving lately » he protested, also with a smile on his face.

« Yes, from _not being able to play_ to _not being able to play anything decent_. It's a progression, Phoenix Wright, but it's far from perfect. You're lucky they're not paying you for that… », Franziska said.

« Yes, well I'm much better at other things, I have to admit ».

« Speaking of which… » she said suddenly « when are you getting your attorney licence back ? ».

« Why do you look so impatient about it ? I thought you hated attorney, thought they were foolish idealists ».

« Yes, but I'd rather go out with a foolish idealist than with a nobody who spends his nights playing cards with other nobodies. »

Phoenix laughed quietly and looked away. Franziska thought she might've been a bit harsh, so she added :

« Plus, attorneys are on their worst hour lately. Not one of them is as good as you are, and I could use some sport.»

When Phoenix looked at her again, he could she was trying to be playful, to make the situation easy for both of them. Phoenix wanted to tell her he didn't really want to get back to business for the moment. After all, he'd lost his licence eight years ago, and only gained his right to come back a year before, when he found the proof that he'd been sabotaged. All this time, he discovered he liked living life slowly, as a nobody. It was calm, easy. Then, when he started going out with Franziska, he thought that peace would be broken, maybe in a good way, but he ended up being wrong. Franziska had changed over the years, and went from a determinated teenager obsessed with perfection and power to a cold prosecutor, calm and professional, obsessed with the truth.

Most importantly, Franziska wanted peace, just like him. And they found it in each other.

« Darn, it's half past seven, I'll be late » Franziska said suddenly.

« Don't you start at nine ? » Phoenix said, faking an expression of surprise on his face. He knew what she was going to answer.

« I can't expect anything from my coworkers if I don't expect the best from myself, Phoenix Wright. Punctuality is the key to be taken seriously by others ».

That, exactly.

She got up and put on her coat.

« What are you going to do today ? » she asked.

« Well, work starts at eleven o'clock this evening, so I guess I might write a letter to the judge, see if he can help me with the licence », he said, after thinking about it for a while.

« Good. And shave that beard. You look better without it ».

« Really ? I thought you liked it ».

He kissed her before she could reply. She returned his kiss, and then turned around to leave the room. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something.

She turned around again and talked.

« Be careful, Phoenix ».

He lost his childish smile and answered very seriously.

« I will ».


End file.
